My Heart Is Here
by flowerslut
Summary: "We've shared joy and we've shared pain. We've shared guilt, and we've shared shame." Series of one-shots. Done for SasuSaku month. Rated T for violence, language.
1. Holding Hands

**A/N: **This is the only time an author's note will be at the beginning of the story, instead of at the end.

The following one-shots are my contributions to SasuSaku month, which is the month of July. I'll be following the prompts given by the SasuSakuMonth tumblr page. I am to complete as many of the prompts as possible, but we'll see how far I get. I encourage you all to check out the blog, and everyone's submissions!

(Quote in summary is from the song Butterflies by Sia. It's a beautiful song, I recommend checking that out as well.)

* * *

_**A Chance**_

She wasn't supposed to get hurt.

She was _never_ supposed to get hurt.

But it happened, and he'd been too slow to stop it from happening.

It was just a normal B-rank mission; nothing too difficult. They were almost done, too. The only thing they had left to do was deliver the scroll they'd reclaimed from the thieves and return it to its owner. Some group of monks who lived on the edge of Fire Country were the ones who kept it safe and secure in their temple. It'd been stolen a few weeks before and they desperately needed it back.

Getting the scroll back hadn't been the problem. The crooks were sloppy and hardly seemed as if they knew what they were doing; as soon as they realized they were being ambushed by ninja, they all started running around like a room full of startled cats.

The problem had occurred on their way to the temple. They knew immediately that they were being followed, but they—no, _he_—underestimated them.

_Stupid stupid stupid._

He didn't know they'd had an archer with them; a skilled one. Before he'd even turned around to deflect the incoming projectile, which he'd thought was simply another kunai, the arrow had already shot past him, missing the tip of his nose by centimeters.

Sasuke had never seen a weapon fly so fast.

He couldn't rid the sight of it from his mind. It pierced through her chest so cleanly that he wasn't even sure he was seeing things correctly. As she blinked a few times, she met his eyes, her mouth hanging open in shock, before she fell from the treetops a trail of blood following behind.

As Naruto shot down with her, catching her before she hit the ground, Sasuke saw nothing but red. The pair of crooks that had been pursuing them were dead before the archers arrow had even hit the ground.

They were more than an hour away from Konoha, and the only one of them who knew any sort of medical ninjutsu was lying in the arms of his best friend, bleeding all over the place. They immediately took off for the Leaf village, running as fast as their legs count take them. But when Sakura choked on her own blood, weakly spitting a mouthful of it onto Naruto's chest, Sasuke almost lost it.

He could almost still hear himself screaming.

"_Sakura! Damnit Sakura, stay with us! Stay with me now! Sakura!"_

He'd been staring at the clock for what felt like days now, although truthfully it had only been a couple of hours. The only noise in the hall besides the clock's steady ticking was the low hum of voices coming from other rooms.

"_She's not in any immediate danger,"_ Tsunade had told him and Naruto a few hours before. _"but we won't really know how serious it is until after she regains consciousness."_

"_When the hell will that be?" _Naruto had demanded to know. Sasuke could hardly keep his eyes off of the man standing beside him. His clothing was soaked with Sakura's blood.

"_Could be days. Weeks. I'm sorry Naruto, but all we can do now is wait."_

After she left, Naruto had sworn some more, kicking over a trashcan in his frustrated fit. The man had only left Sasuke's side a few minutes before; as she passed by them in the hallway, a concerned Shizune had handed Naruto a pair of scrubs and directed him toward the nearest bathroom in order to clean up.

Sasuke had been secretly grateful. He just didn't know how much longer he'd be able to stomach the sight and smell of her blood.

He almost jumped when the door to Sakura's room opened back up. He frowned to himself; he hadn't realized anyone had even been in there.

A nurse he didn't recognize smiled at him before informing him that he could see her if he liked. Before she was finished talking he'd already walked past her and into the room, not saying a single word to the young woman.

He didn't know how long he stood there, staring down at her in shock before he finally moved to sit in the chair beside her.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't rid the fear from his mind. He couldn't lose her, not now.

Only a few days before, he'd finally asked her on a date. They hadn't even made plans for it though, since hours later they were assigned their mission.

Staring at her body, he found himself frozen in fear. She looked so pale it terrified him.

With a tentative hand, he reached out, brushing the tips of his fingers against the top of her hand. He frowned; it was cool to the touch.

Hand still shaking, he ever-so-gently wrapped his hand around hers, holding it tightly in his grasp.

She was so strong, yet so fragile. Her life currently laid in the balance as he simply sat by and waited for some sign of life out of her. Some sign that she'd be okay. God, he couldn't wait to hear her voice again.

As he watched the steady rise and fall of her chest, he tightened his grip on her hand slightly, before closing his eyes and leaning his head against the edge of her bed.

The clock eventually began to soothe his tension, lulling him into a calm state, tempting his tired body with the possibility of sleep. Before he allowed his mind to slip into unconsciousness he made a promise to himself that even his exhausted mind would never forget.

He vowed to never let her go.


	2. Lessons Learned

_**Running Away**_

The first time she ever told him that she loved him, they'd been kids. Hardly old enough to know what love is, if you asked him. But she cried it with such unwavering certainty that he couldn't doubt her; not even for a moment. The moments the words left her mouth, he only hoped that she'd take them back. God, how he wanted her to take them back; it would only lead her to pain. He left her on a bench that night, only hoping that his 'thank you' would be enough.

The second time she ever told him that she loved him, they'd been on the battlefield. There had been blood on her face; whether or not it had been hers was something he found himself pondering even to this day. There were no tears that time. No, it was much less dramatic than that. But she told him that if they died, she wanted him to know that she still loved him. It caught him so off guard that the only response he could come up with was complete and utter silence. As she ran off, she didn't even look surprised at his lack of acknowledgement. He turned back to the battle and resumed fighting, trying to block the words from his mind.

The third time had been just after her 18th birthday. Some of their friends had thrown her a party and after a few hours and a few glasses of sake, the night became a blur. When he was finally able to understand what had happened, he found her lying beside him, her bare back exposed to the light shining in through her window. She whispered it in her sleep just as he was leaving, having already collected his discarded clothing. He hesitated, but ultimately he continued on his way, leaving her behind to wake up alone. He could only hope she wouldn't remember.

The fourth time she told him was when they were 20. The mission had gone smoothly until a kunai lodged itself in his leg, successfully slicing through his femoral artery. She was above him seconds after he hit the ground, hard enough to knock the wind out of his lungs and the coherency out of his mind. The tears didn't start until after a few minutes, but when they started, all he could get his disorganized head to do was simply watch as they fell, one by one, into the dirt beneath her. Before he lost consciousness, just as the screaming of his teammates for him to 'stay with them' reached his ears, the only thing his mind clung to was the 'I love you' she uttered, her words almost completely overshadowed by the panicked shouts. Days later, when he resumed consciousness in the hospital in Konoha, he chose to ignore her words, pushing them in the back of his mind as she worked over him silently.

He was 23 when he learned that she was leaving the village for a mission—one that would last for over a year. He approached her, demanding an explanation, justifying his actions by insisting that he deserved to know why, but all he was met with were soft smiles and reassurances that she'd be back before he even noticed she was gone. He watched her go that day, exiting through the gates of the village, her back to him as she grew farther and farther away from him. He tried not to let the absence of those three little words get to him, but for weeks it was all he could think about.

He didn't see her again until months later, while on a mission of his own. He hadn't expected to find her walking alongside another man, her arm linked within his, laughing loudly and brightly. Upon seeing her face—happier than he'd seen it in years—he fled, retreating back to the inn he was staying at.

For days, throughout the duration of his mission he tried to reason with himself.

He didn't care.

She could do what she wanted to.

It didn't affect him at all.

He should be relieved that she finally moved on.

Yet before he left the tiny village, he found her again, alone this time as she walked down the almost-empty street. As he called out her name, he was almost expecting to see her turn to him and give him a smile—the smile she always gave him, the one that reassured him that she still loved him. But when her expression gave nothing away, nothing more than her curiosity at his appearance, he almost turned around right then and there.

He waited for her to say something, although she remained silent, watching him with scrutinizing eyes. Feeling uneasy, he couldn't think of anything else to do but call out to her with the first words he could muster up.

"Do you still love me?"

They hung in the air as he waited, terrifying himself with his own choice of words. Her expression did not change as she stared back at him for a long moment before making careful, calculated steps toward him.

"Does it matter?"

The sound of her voice after going so long without it made something in his chest flutter and then tighten. He could only watch in silent desperation as she studied him with her scrutinizing eyes, still approaching him slowly. Eventually she stopped, a few feet away from him.

She was waiting for an answer; he knew she was.

Again the urge to turn and walk away hit him like a slap in the face. After all these years, it appeared that it was his natural response to being confronted with emotion. As he stared at her, he had absolutely no idea how to communicate his own emotion. And like before, he only replied with the words he could get himself to physically speak.

"Yes."

She was quiet for a long moment, unmoving as she still held her gaze on him. Slowly, he watched as a small smile formed on her lips, her eyes softening as she closed the distance between them. Lifting up her hand she placed it softly against his cheek—he surprised himself by leaning into the touch.

"Then yes," she said, smiling up at him with the same smile he was so familiar with, "I love you."

It took almost ten years for Uchiha Sasuke to stop running away. And to him, the reward of learning how to do it was all worth it in the end.

* * *

**A/N**: This is yesterday's prompt. I'll be posting today's sometime over the course of the morning.


	3. Watching

_**The Little Things**_

Sakura had been surprised when it happened for the first time, stunned when it happened the second time, and completely bewildered when it happened a third time.

And of course, it all started with a certain anti-social Uchiha.

They'd all just come back from a mission the first time it had happened. They were sitting at Ichiraku's like usual, getting ready to finally have their first warm meal in over a week.

When he not only remembered her order but paid for her meal as well, she was so stunned all she could stutter out was a shocked 'thank you'.

A week passed before she got back into her normal routine. She'd get up early to train, and then after cleaning up and grabbing a bite to eat she'd run over to the hospital where she'd spend a majority of the rest of the day. Some nights she'd get out of there at a reasonable time, but on most nights she wouldn't find herself walking out of the doors of the hospital until well after midnight.

When she spotted him, standing outside the entrance of the hospital, she paused for a second, almost fearing that he needed medical treatment. Instead, he nodded toward her, gesturing for her to follow him.

"Come on," he had said, nonchalantly, "it's late."

She followed him, still confused as to what he was doing. It wasn't until she realized he was walking her home when her throat suddenly got tight.

"You don't have to—" she stuttered, letting out a nervous laugh, "I can get home just fine—"

"It's late," he repeated once more, as if that explained his actions. "You've been working all day."

She walked alongside him, almost silently for the rest of the walk. The other day Kakashi had scolded her for working too hard at the hospital, telling her that it wasn't wise. She would admit that she did find herself a bit chakra depleted after each night, leaving her vulnerable as she walked home each night, but she never thought much of it.

Sakura hadn't realized that Sasuke had been paying attention.

Instead of offering only a 'thank you' to him, she managed to muster up a smile too. And as she closed the door behind her, she willed her heart to slow down, still smiling at his spontaneous action.

On a particularly sunny afternoon, Sakura found herself walking through the bustling streets of the village with her friends, laughing and joking around. It was one of those insanely rare days where everyone's schedules synced up and they all had a day off at the same time.

Soon enough she found herself with her face almost pressed against the window of a certain shop, admiring the pale yellow dress on display.

"It's so _pretty_," Ino cooed next to her. "And it's so… expensive."

Sakura frowned as her eyes found the price tag at the same time Ino's did.

"What a shame," she mumbled before turning and rejoining the rest of the group.

The following day she had just gotten home after a long day at the hospital; her feet hurt, her back ached, and she was simply too exhausted to even pay attention to her surroundings. So when she almost ran head-on into Sasuke, she jumped. She would've stumbled backwards if he hadn't reached out and steadied her.

"Oh," she said, startled. "Th-thank you."

He nodded once before releasing his hold on her arm and stepping backward.

Sakura stared at him for a long moment wondering why he was here… outside of her apartment… at almost midnight…

"Here."

She was stunned when he held something out to her, looking away as he did so. She gave him a confused look before taking the bag into her hands and peering inside of it. Immediately recognizing its contents she let out a gasp, closing the bag quickly and thrusting it back into his hands.

"Sasuke I—I can't accept this!"

He pushed it back toward her, taking another step back as he did, "It's a gift."

"But it's so expensive!" she exclaimed in disbelief, referring to the dress inside. "You didn't need to, honestly."

"I wanted to… do something nice."

If it hadn't been so dark out Sakura would've sworn he saw his face redden slightly as he kept his eyes averted.

He was surprising her more and more as the days went by. Little gestures that not only shocked her but flattered her as well, making her thoughts muddled and words jumbled.

So as she looked inside the bag once more and closed it, she lifted her eyes to meet his and smiled.

It was flattering to know that he cared about her wellbeing, but to know that he actually _paid attention_ to her made her heart soar.

And before she could tell herself not to, she threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. Letting out a laugh, she held the embrace for a long moment before whispering, "Thank you, Sasuke-kun."

When she felt him return the embrace, she swore she'd never been happier.


	4. Misspent Youth

_**Satisfied**_

Sakura had always been content with her life.

Being a ninja wasn't something she initially thought she'd be good at, but soon after entering the academy, she knew that it was what she was meant to do.

She'd made enough friends throughout her years as a ninja—friends that she knew would last a lifetime.

It's not that she thought she'd had it all, definitely not. It was simply she didn't _know_ she'd missed out on anything while growing up. She hadn't realized her upbringing had been strange until she started to befriend her coworkers in the hospital.

A couple of the nurses who worked with her had been friends growing up, so time and time again she'd sit by and listen as they reminisced back to the old days.

As the weeks went by, she learned that she'd missed out on quite a few things that were apparently 'normal' for young girls growing up.

She'd never spent the summer away at camp or attended a school dance. Learning to play instruments and participating in a musical were some things that would've been laughed at while at the Academy.

While other little girls had been learning different ways to braid hair, Sakura had been learning different ways to incapacitate an enemy twice her size. And instead of learning to ride a bicycle, her spare time had been spent learning how to throw a kunai with deadly accuracy.

"Do you ever think that… that maybe we missed out as kids?" She'd asked Sasuke one night, while walking home from a mission.

When he was silent for a long moment, she thought that maybe he hadn't heard her. But as she looked up to him, she found his eyes staring ahead of them, a pensive look on his face.

"All the time," he admitted with a shrug. "But that's just the way things go."

"I don't know, I just," she sighed, feeling silly with her train of thought now, "sometimes I wish I'd grown up more normally, you know? I never took an art class or learned how to play the piano. I never learned how to make friendship bracelets or went to a school dance. Things that normal little girls do I guess."

Sasuke let out a light, mocking laugh, "Trust me, you were just as annoying as the other girls I knew."

"Shut up," she glared, crossing her arms over her chest and scowling, "I just, I wish I'd gotten to experience more. I mean don't get me wrong, I don't regret being a ninja and I wouldn't trade going on missions for anything. But sometimes…"

"You think about what things would have been like," he finished for her. "I get it, trust me."

Sakura nodded, feeling like a complete idiot for even opening her mouth about the topic in the first place. Here she was whining about missing out on unimportant childish activities, where he had been completely stripped of his childhood, and of his innocence, at a young age.

She was silent for the rest of the walk. She lived closer to the entrance of the village, while he lived only a few blocks down from her. They'd always found each other taking the same path home after arriving back in the village, so over the course of a year or so, they found themselves waiting for one another to make their trek to their respective homes.

Just as they began approaching her street, she sighed sadly to herself, wishing that she'd just kept her mouth shut. As she looked up to say goodbye to Sasuke she found his eyes already focused on her.

"What are—" before she could finish her question, he'd caught her completely off guard by grabbing one of her hands and pulling her toward him. After that, he wrapped another arm around her back, holding her close to him.

"Sasuke," she squeaked, looking up at him in confusion. She could almost feel her face beginning to blush. "What are you doing?"

"You said you'd never been to a dance," he explained simply. As he spoke he started moving, catching Sakura off guard and forcing her to watch her step.

"Yeah, but—I mean," she let her eyes glance around them, scared that someone would see them. "This isn't a school dance," she whispered harshly, embarrassed as the realization of what was going on fully hit her.

Something like this was practically a dream of hers; Sasuke pulling her into his arms and holding her close. And now that it was happening, she was so embarrassed she almost couldn't think straight.

"True," he admitted as they moved almost awkwardly in the street, "but at least it's something."

She let out another surprised squeak as he grabbed her hand and lifted her arm into the air, twirling her. As he resumed his hold on her back she couldn't help but let out a laugh at his antics.

After a couple of minutes, she found herself growing comfortable with his presence and with the fact that they were quite literally dancing—if you could really call it that—out in the street. She let out a content sigh as she leaned her head against his chest, closing her eyes as they moved.

It wasn't what she expected, but he was right; it sure was something.

* * *

**A/N**: This prompt is a day late, but today's prompt will be posted later on tonight.

Thanks for reading.


	5. Flood

**_The Precious Ones_**

He knew how fragile life was. He knew how in an instant, everyone you love could be ripped away from you. He knew what it was like to lose everything.

At one point in time, he had vowed to himself that he would never allow for that to happen ever again.

And when his daughter was born, he swore to himself that he'd always protect her. As long as he lived, he'd do everything in his power to ensure that she would remain safe.

He just never thought that anything would happen the one time—the _first_ time—that he and Sakura went on a mission together after Hana was born.

* * *

They had been on the way home from their mission when they found out about the flood.

They'd been walking along the path with Naruto leading the way, exhausted from the past few days and taking their time as they made their way toward the village. The sky had started to darken and the sun was just about to disappear behind the trees far ahead of them.

As he watched the horizon, Sasuke couldn't help but notice when the birds started to fly toward them by the hundreds. At first he just assumed that they were migrating to the south; after all, autumn had just begun and winter was steadily approaching. But when other animals—squirrels, deer, cats—began to pass them, running in the opposite direction by the dozens, he started to worry.

As he met Naruto's eyes, they shared a concerned look. Sasuke watched as he entered sage mode and closed his eyes to concentrate. Watching his teammate closely, Sasuke stopped his movements and grabbed Sakura's arm, halting her as well.

Seconds later, Naruto's head snapped toward the young couple, his yellow eyes staring back at them with a panicked look.

"Something's wrong."

They took off in a sprint, running as quickly toward the village as possible. When they encountered water rushing by their feet while they were still _four_ miles away from the village, the fear began to set in.

"Where is all this coming from?" Sakura struggled to yell above the rushing water that was rising every minute.

"It has to be the dam on the other side of the mountain," Sasuke replied, ducking below branches as they ran, "but I don't know how the water would reach all the way out _here_."

By the time they reached the main gates, the water was at least four feet high. The moment they entered the village all they could hear and see around them was complete and utter chaos.

Ninja were running in a panic, trying to pull as many civilians out of the water and onto higher land or into boats as they could. Naruto immediately rushed in to help the first few people he saw, pulling a few kids out of the raging waters and onto the roof of a nearby building.

As they took in the sight before them, Sakura and Sasuke locked eyes with one another before they started running again, their thoughts both centered around one thing.

By the time they reached their home, it was halfway underwater with only the upper level still visible to their eyes.

Running up to the first window he set his eyes on, with a quick jab of his elbow he shattered the glass. As soon as the glass broke, water started rushing _out_ of the house, pouring out into the water outside.

When he noticed a few picture frames and a stuffed bear flood out of the window he shared a scared look with Sakura.

"Stay here!" he yelled over the roar of the water. Before she could even reply he dove in through the window and into the immersed house.

He could only hope he wouldn't find anything, he even prayed that he wouldn't. Maybe the two had time to evacuate? The babysitter could have run off with Hana and gotten to higher land before the house started filling with water.

Finding an air pocket in the corner of a room—he thinks it might be the kitchen, but he's so disoriented he can hardly tell—he inhales, taking a few deep breaths before going back under the water.

He's just made his way into the hallway when he first sees something. Grabbing onto the back of the sweater he grabs the young girl and pulls her after him, making his way back to the broken window as quickly as possible.

Outside once more, he hands the unconscious teenager over to Sakura—who was currently crying and shaking out of worry—and without another word, dives right back in.

He stays in the house, searching in the murky water for what feels like _hours_ with no sign of the baby. He does another quick sweep of the main level before searching the upper level a final time. The upstairs isn't completely submerged in water like the downstairs, but the water is still steadily rising up to his shoulders.

"Hana!" he screams, knowing that even if the child could hear him, she wouldn't be able to reply. He tries to fight back his feeling of terror as he desperately searches the house.

As he runs from room to room one final time, he refuses to think of the possibility that he might not find her. Trying as fast as he can to think up some sort of idea or plan, he makes his way back outside only to find Sakura situated on the roof, leaning over the babysitter, Ami, who was currently sitting up and coughing water out by the mouthful.

"Ami," he approaches her so quickly that in her disoriented state she jumps, as if trying to get away from him. But upon realization who it is, she looks with clouded eyes toward him and then toward Sakura. "Ami," Sasuke calls again, directing her attention back toward him, "where is Hana?"

As soon as he finishes speaking the girl's eyes widen in shock as she looks around, as if hoping to spot the baby on the roof with them. Opening her mouth to speak she coughs up more water struggling to fill her lungs with air and nothing more.

Inhaling deeply she starts talking quickly, "They told us to get to higher ground and I put her up there and then I thought I heard someone knocking on the door and when I got back down there water had started coming in and then I realized it was just rubble knocking against the house and then the windows shattered and I just—I couldn't get back up there and—" inhaling deeply once more, she breaks out into a series of coughs, violently shaking as he body spits up more water.

"_Ami_," Sasuke grabs her by the shoulders and forces her to look at him, "put her up _where_?"

Coughing once more, she struggles to get the words out. "She's in the attic."

As soon as the words leave her mouth he finds himself back in the house. The water had risen up so high that there are only _inches_ between the water line and the ceiling of the upper level. But swimming as quickly as he ever has in his life, Sasuke makes his way towards the far end of the house. As he spots the attic ladder hanging out of the opening in the ceiling he grabs hold of it tightly, hoisting himself up and into the attic.

Spilling out onto the floor, he rolls over, pushing himself onto his hands and knees before he looks around franticly, searching for the little girl.

"Hana!" he calls again, picking himself up onto his feet and searching around the cluttered space. The attic isn't large, but the sheer amount of junk that was up there made it hard to really find _anything_.

Before he fills his lungs up to let out another call, he turns his head and sighs in relief. Just placed inside of an opened box, wrapped snuggly in a couple of blankets, lay Hana. Her eyes were wide and curious and upon seeing her dad her face lit up in a bright grin, grabbing up toward him with her chubby fingers.

Grabbing another blanket off of an old table, he shook the dust off of it before picking her up and wrapping her in it; he didn't want his soaking wet clothes to seep through her covers. The water was practically freezing—he had to work hard to keep himself from shivering.

As he turned back toward the entrance to the attic, he froze. The water had just reached the attic and was starting to steadily stream across the floor. Holding Hana closely against him, he knew he couldn't go back the way he came.

He contemplates simply breaking a hole in the roof and coming out that way, but not knowing exactly where Sakura and Ami sat made him hesitant. For a split second he almost considers using his chidori, but as soon as the thought enters his mind he dismisses it; the last thing he needed to do was get everyone electrocuted.

Before he can think of an alternative plan the loud, eerie sound of creaking wood causes him to stop. And without warning, the roof collapses on them, causing the house to practically crumble in on itself with the water carrying it away.

The moment he enters the water—too suddenly to get a good breath of air—he finds himself in a terrified frenzy. Holding Hana close he struggles to get out of the demolished remains of what used to be their home and tries to find the surface.

Even with the sharingan it's difficult to see which way is up through the murky water, and when his lungs start burning due to lack of oxygen, he holds Hana closer, struggling to stay alert and free them.

He finds himself caught off guard when the choppy waters spit them out of a broken window—only _then_ can Sasuke truly see what his and Sakura's new home has become. And as he turns his face upward, spotting the surface only a few feet away, he pushes his legs to kick just a little further…

… only to be knocked upside the head so hard by something in the water, that he almost loses consciousness right there.

For a moment all he can see is black, even though he knows his eyes are open. The moment he realizes he'd loosened his grip on Hana, he tightens his hold once more, clutching her tiny body to his chest in his delirium.

He fights hard against unconsciousness as he kicks his legs, but truthfully he's lost any sense of which direction is _up_.

Closing his eyes tightly he has to resist the urge to use what little air he has left and let out an angry, frustrated scream. He needs to protect her, even if he can't save his own life he _has_ to save Hana's.

It's the image of Sakura, leaning over their lifeless bodies and crying that causes his exhausted body to push himself just a little farther.

No. He couldn't do that to Sakura. He'd do anything not to leave her alone in this world.

Struggling to open his eyes he looks in the direction he thinks is up and weakly tries kicking once more. If he could only get Hana up there, then he'd be content with whatever happened to him. He just _needed_… to get Hana… to Sakura…

But when his vision starts to blur once more, the last thing he sees before closing his eyes again is something dark heading straight for him. With Hana in his arms, he can only hope that someone will save her.

_I couldn't do it. I'm sorry Sakura. I'm so sorry._

He doesn't realize he's been yanked up by his collar until his lungs take in their first couple breaths of air.

And with the feeling of the cold autumn air hitting his cheeks, his eyes open once more, struggling to make sense of what has happened.

It's the sight of Kakashi, standing in front of him, still gripping him by the shirt, that causes him to let out a choked sound of relief. It isn't until he realizes that the tiny bundle in his arms is silent until he panics again.

He's still disoriented although he's stable enough to keep himself up on the water. Quickly he peels one of the blankets back to reveal Hana's still face—placing the back of his hand against her tiny cheek, his blood runs cold. Even to his chilled body, her skin is freezing.

"Sakura!" he yells out into the air, trying to keep his legs from collapsing underneath him, "_Sakura!_"

She's beside him before he realizes it, grabbing Hana out of his arms. He watches her in a haze as she moves quickly; she's still crying, he can tell. She peels the soaked blankets off the infant before wrapping her tiny body in another one; a dry one he hadn't noticed she'd been carrying.

Watching Sakura turn her over and pat her back roughly—he assumes to try and clear the water from her windpipe—the sight causes his knees to give way. He would've fallen straight back into the water if Kakashi hadn't grabbed hold of him again, keeping the terror-stricken Uchiha upright. He hardly realizes when a blanket of his own is draped over his shoulders.

He's almost convinced that all hope is lost until he hears it: the sound of Hana's sharp, piercing cries echoing through the air.

The sound of it seems to bring him back to life as he pushes away from Kakashi, dragging his feet over toward the two crying girls he loves so much. He's only just seen Hana's pink, crying face over the top of Sakura's shoulder before he wraps his arms around the both of them.

_They're safe_.

For one of the first times in his life, he doesn't hold back his tears as he holds his family close to him.

* * *

**A/N**: This ended up being a lot longer (and a lot more emotional) than I originally intended. I'm not disappointed by how it turned out though. I hope you enjoyed it.


	6. Babysitting

_**Threats**_

"Hold him."

"No."

"Just for a second!"

"I refuse."

Letting out a breath of air slowly, Sakura worked hard to keep her temper under control and her voice low. She had known that this wouldn't be an easy job, but she figured that hey, with the two of them, they could surely handle things, right?

Oh man. She'd been _way off_.

And that's how she found herself standing in the middle of Naruto and Hinata's apartment, holding a one year old in the air, with a diaper that was full with something atrocious.

"Sasuke," her voice was still quiet although it had a menacing tone to it, "I swear if you don't hold him right now, I'm going to kill you."

He made a scoffing noise from where he sat on the couch and proceeded to place his legs on the coffee table before him, crossing his arms over his chest. "Do your worst."

Trying to help out the young couple, Sakura had volunteered to help watch Kenji while Naruto and Hinata had a day to themselves; something that she was sure they hadn't had since the baby was born. She had been completely unaware that Sasuke would be there as well, supposedly to 'help', but she had no idea _why_ since it was clear he wasn't willing to do a damn thing.

"Why are you even here if you're not going to help!?" she asked with an incredulous expression on her face.

He shrugged, "Naruto told me he'd pay for my next set of kunai."

Sakura almost yelled at him right then and there. Hinata had offered to pay Sakura for watching the little boy, but she'd denied outright, telling her that she wouldn't dare take money from them. She was doing them a favor, trying to be nice to her friends; she didn't need to be compensated.

Besides, she thought as she looked down at Kenji, who was sucking his thumb, looking up at her to smile periodically, the boy was simply too cute to not want to spend time with.

But here was Sasuke fucking Uchiha, sitting nice and comfortably on their couch, not lifting a damn finger to help her, and he seriously thought he'd get something out of this? Not on her watch.

Without warning, she handed the child over to him, almost letting out a laugh as she watched him lean as far away from the baby as possible, with a look of disgust on his face. But before he could say anything, she'd effectively sat the boy on his lap and stepped back a couple of paces to observe the two.

Kenji sat with his legs out in front of him across Sasuke's lap, looking up at the man with a curious expression. Taking his thumb out of his mouth he let out a giggle before reaching up towards Sasuke with his tiny, drool-covered hands.

"What the hell am I supposed to do with this?" Sasuke asked, grabbing the boy by the back of the shirt and tugging slightly, trying to keep him from touching his face with his wet little hands.

"Sit there. Watch him. And if you _don't_—" she said quickly, before he could protest, "then not only will I force you to change his diaper, but I'll make sure Naruto doesn't give you a damn thing. Now," she smiled at the two, pleased with herself, "sit here, so I can go fetch him a diaper."

"You're going to pay for this." She heard him yell toward her as she left the room.

Sakura leaned back into the room only to shoot him another grin. Smiling sweetly she winked, "Do your worst."

* * *

**A/N**: Two consecutive prompts about Sasuke and babies. I guess I just really like seeing Sasuke interact with kids, whether sad or funny.

This prompt is a couple days late, but I'll be posting all 31 regardless of whether they're on time or not.


	7. The Deep End

_**Red Flags**_

When he's not on the training grounds then he's in his apartment; it's only ever one of those two places. He doesn't go anywhere else. He _can't_ go anywhere else.

When he walks outside, people stare, people whisper, and people cower in fear, trying to run as far away from the monster as they can. And every time he leaves his apartment it's always the same. Eventually he stops leaving altogether, not even bothering to even get himself outside and train, or even to get himself food. That was the first warning for Sakura.

As she brings him groceries, she tells him that he's not a monster.

He tells her that she's wrong.

Then the conversation ends.

When he sleeps he doesn't rest. No matter how hard he may try, no matter how many hours he may lie in bed, the nightmares won't let him. They're there when he sleeps. They're even there when he doesn't.

When he wakes up from a nap on the couch, screaming obscenities at someone who isn't even there, Sakura, in the kitchen, cooking for a man who will hardly eat, drops a plate, shattering it across the floor. It takes her almost five entire minutes to convince him that it was just a dream, and that both Madara and Obito are gone, never to return.

She tells him that they're only dreams.

He admits to her that he always hears them; awake or asleep.

Then the conversation ends.

When he disappears for three days, nowhere to be found, a search team comprised of four ANBU is sent to find him and bring him back. Upon his return he is given a final warning by Tsunade. He's violated his probation—one more time and she'll have no choice but to have him executed.

When he returns back to his apartment that night, Sakura is already there waiting for him.

Crying, she yells at him, asking him if he's trying to get himself killed.

He shrugs and says "maybe" before locking himself in his room.

Then the conversation ends.

When it's only a few days before his probation period is finally up, she finds him lying in bed, bleeding and unresponsive. It takes her almost hours to heal his wound. He's practically severed almost every artery and vein in his neck; the kunai is still wet with blood lying beside him on the sheets.

When she finishes healing him, she collapses on the bed beside him on the verge of total exhaustion and crying her eyes out. He was on the brink of death, she screams at him as he slowly starts to regain consciousness. She yells that if anyone else had found him, he'd be dead. He was supposed to be dead, he counters, his face pale and voice scratchy.

The moment she hears the words fall out of his mouth, she only cries harder.

She begs him to stay. She apologizes for things that aren't even her fault.

He jokes that she'll end up staining his sheets with her tears, knowing full well that he lies in a pool of his own blood.

She tells him she loves him. She just about shouts it at him.

He tells her she's stupid and that it's pointless.

She vows to him that she won't give up on him, that she won't let him get away that easily.

He smiles, the dried blood on his face cracking, before calling her annoying.

When she repeats her words, telling him that she loves him, she emphasizes her point by wrapping her arms around him, holding him tightly.

Apprehensively, she waits for his response.

When he lets his head rest on her shoulder weakly, he sighs into her hair. And when he gives her a soft 'thank you', she hopes that maybe—just maybe—she'll be able to help him.

She hopes that she can save him.

And when they fall asleep, side by side in a bed that almost turned into a coffin, she holds him tight, he finally lets her, and the conversation ends.

* * *

**A/N**: This was a bit dark, but I'm happy with it. Let me know what you think.


	8. Accidents Happen

_**Daddy Day Care**_

Sasuke never went to Naruto to ask for help.

In fact, he made a point to always _avoid_ asking the man for help, even going out of his way to do so. There were very few things that Sasuke couldn't handle on his own. And apparently, this was one of them.

To put it bluntly: he was desperate.

"You don't think she'll notice will you?"

"I don't know man…"

"Is it really that obvious?"

Nervously, he watched as Naruto walked over to the toddler, who sat propped up in her highchair, and leaned down to examine her. The sound of laughter was _not_ the response he had been hoping for from his supposed 'friend'.

"I don't know how to tell you this, but there's no way she _won't _notice!"

Sasuke glared, "Thanks."

Sakura had been away for the week on a mission to deliver medical supplies to the Hidden Stone; some new vaccine or something? Sasuke didn't exactly know the specifics. The only thing he'd focused on before she left was trying to deal with the fact that he'd be alone all week with their two year old daughter.

She was always a very well-behaved, quiet little girl…

That was… at least when her mother was around.

For some reason, when Sakura was away, the shit would hit the fan—once, even literally.

"Look on the bright side!" Naruto said, walking back over toward Sasuke, "You've done pretty damn well since she left. I mean, this is nothing."

Sasuke could've agreed with him. There had been so many opportunities for the terrible two-year-old to get into trouble over the course of the week. Thankfully, Sasuke had been watching her like a hawk, hardly taking his eyes off of her for the entire week. He'd even taken her around the village with him one day, since he had to make a follow-up report at the Hokage's offices for a mission he'd come back from the week before.

But as he stared back as his daughter, who was missing a good chunk of hair from the front of her head, his frown deepened.

This might have been nothing, but there was really _no way_ he could hide this from Sakura.

He allowed his eyes to wander to a taped up box above the refrigerator—which was where all of the scissors in the house were now safely stored away—and sighed.

"Listen, I'd love to stay but—" as soon as the sound of the front door unlocking reached his ears, he shot Naruto a dry look, "I've got to go!" And without another word, Naruto skipped toward the front of the house, eager to make his retreat.

Sasuke could hear their exchange from the kitchen.

"Naruto? What are you doing?"

Naruto forced out a laugh, "Just hanging out! Gotta go though, I uh, have… laundry to do…"

"You don't even _do_ your own laundry, Naruto. Hey! Naruto!"

As he listened to the door close he counted her slow, careful footsteps as she made her way further into the house. Watching as she walked into the kitchen, she met his eyes with a curious expression on her face. But before she opened her mouth to ask him about Naruto's strange behavior, her eyes shot toward the giggling toddler across the room, who was now squealing and waving her arms toward Sakura, begging for her attention.

Sasuke watched as she slowly walked up to the girl and looked down on her. He could only imagine she was staring at the chopped-up, dark mess of hair.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, he decided that it was better to break the silence than to wait for her anger to appear.

"She uh, got into your desk when I was in the shower. She broke a one of the bars in her crib to get out. But uh, that's all fixed now. It's just…"

He let his words trail off when Sakura leaned forward to take their child into her arms. Still giggling, the girl wrapped her arms around Sakura's head, embracing her excitedly.

"Well…" he froze when she finally spoke again, turning toward him. She surprised him by smiling softly at him, "I guess it's about time she had her first haircut."

He paused after he realized she wasn't going to yell. "You're… not angry?"

Sakura laughed, propping the toddler up on her hip as she inspected her hair. "Not really. I mean, it's a bit of a shock, but I guess we'll just have to teach her that she's not allowed to give herself makeovers." As she walked up to him, she gave him another smile before leaning up on her toes and pecking him lightly on the lips. "At least until she's a teenager."

Watching her leave the room, smiling down and talking happily to the mischievous girl, Sasuke sighed, allowing the tension to rid itself from his body. He'd been expecting _way_ worse. But as his mind absorbed her words, he allowed his mind to wander several years into the future, picturing his beautiful daughter as a lovely, young woman.

And as he let his thoughts wander, thinking about how much of a handful she'll end up being when she becomes a teenager, he let his nervous gaze peer around the corner and toward his daughter's bedroom.

Maybe a bad haircut was the last thing he had to worry about…

* * *

**A/N**: And yet another 'daddy Sasuke' story. I can't help myself I guess.

I thought I'd write something light for yesterday's prompt. Today's will be posted later tonight.


	9. Bugs

_**Favors**_

"Why am I doing this again?"

"Because I asked you to."

"I don't think I want to do this anymore."

"You already told me you would!"

"Yeah but I just realized that I don't want to do this."

"Sasuke! Come on! After they're gone I'll stop bothering you about this, please!"

Sasuke glared up at Sakura, who stood up in the second story window, high above the massive wasps' nest that was currently nestled inside her lamppost.

"But tell my why _I'm_ the one doing this again?" he asked, looking at the broom he held in his hands, courtesy of Sakura. "And why the hell am I using this?"

"Shino is on a mission and I have no idea how to get rid of a wasps nest." She shrugged, leaning against the windowsill with her arms crossed. "I figured that's a lot better than nothing," she said, gesturing towards the broom he held.

"Why can't I just use a fireball jutsu?" he asked, as if that were the answer to all their problems.

"Maybe because I don't want you burning my house down!?"

"At least the wasps will be gone," he muttered under his breath as he examined the household weapon that Sakura had armed him with. "This isn't going to do a damn thing."

"Shut up and just whack it down or something!"

"Can't you get Naruto to do it?"

"He's allergic, now stop complaining."

"He's not allergic."

Sakura rolled his eyes, "For this argument's sake, he is."

"Sakura," he frowned toward her, shooting her a disapproving look.

"Sasuke, please! I won't ask you for anything else all month! I swear! Just, get rid of it please? For me?"

Biting his tongue he bit back a scathing remark before sighing to himself and shaking his head. He'd only been back in the village for about a year now, and Sakura was still _just_ beginning to open back up to him. He figured he should have probably been thankful that she'd even requested his help with her stupid little dilemma, but as he watched the wasps fly in and out of the fist-sized nest, he groaned inwardly.

Readjusting his grip on the broom, he shot her a wry look. "This isn't going to end well."


	10. Recipe

_**A Valiant Attempt**_

Even though he'd received multiple warnings—from Naruto and Sai especially—for some stupid, unknown reason, he'd decided to take her up on her offer and let her cook dinner for him. It was his birthday, and she'd _insisted _that he let her make him a meal so that he wouldn't have to do it himself.

He was now sitting awkwardly in her living room, listening to the sounds of a disaster waiting to happen in the next room. Since he'd arrived, he'd heard her yelp and groan in frustration countless times, and at one point he even noticed smoke coming out of the kitchen. A flustered Sakura, with her hair pulled up and out of her face had run into the room, opened all the windows, and smiled to him, excusing herself to scamper back into the kitchen.

She'd never cooked for him before, so he didn't know what to expect. Despite Naruto and Sai's advice that he kindly pass up the offer, he figured he'd give Sakura the benefit of the doubt. Her cooking couldn't be that bad, could it?

Besides, their alternate idea was for him to offer to take her out somewhere to eat instead. That plan was just something too embarrassing for him to actually go through with…

When the sound of a pan hitting the ground and a glass shattering reached his ears, he stood up, ready to walk into the kitchen and tell her to stop doing… whatever it was she was doing.

"I'm fine!" she yelled before he even took a step. "I'm almost done! Just another couple minutes!"

Sighing, he sat himself back down on the couch, rubbing the back of his neck. He looked at the clock on the far wall, realizing that he'd been there for over an hour now. It's not like he was really hungry anyway, but he just didn't understand why he was actually sitting there and waiting for a meal that he'd been told would hardly be edible.

Ten minutes later, just as he'd started to nod off in his seat—his exhaustion and sheer boredom almost getting the better of him—Sakura called his name from the kitchen, informing him that dinner was served.

But as he tentatively walked into the still smoke-filled room, he frowned as he looked toward the table on the far end of the room.

"I uh, left it in for a little too long, but I cut off most of the burnt part!" Sakura had started to defend her cooking before Sasuke had even made his way over to the table to peer down at the food on the plate.

For a moment, Sasuke wondered if it really _was_ food.

Trying not to be rude—she was trying to do something genuinely nice for him—he sat himself down, tentatively cutting a piece of the blackened… whatever-it-was, and placing it in his mouth.

As soon as he started chewing the food, he regretted his decision immediately.

But Sakura was watching him, with a hopeful expression on her face, so he forced himself to swallow it.

"So?" she stood beside him, bouncing almost nervously, "How is it?"

He wanted to lie to her, to tell her that it was great and that she was a great cook and then he wanted to thank her vehemently.

But Sasuke was no liar.

"It's…" he paused, looking for the kindest words he could find in order to word his opinion, "chewy."

"It sucks, doesn't it?" she deadpanned, her expression falling as she threw the dirtied apron she'd been wearing onto the table in front of her. "I'm sorry! I know I'm not very good but I figured 'hey, this can't be too hard to make'. I've watched my mom make it hundreds of times but I'm just no good at cooking. I'm so sorry! Ugh!"

In a huff she sat herself down in the chair across from him, letting her head flop into her arms against the table. "I'm sorry I ruined your birthday dinner."

Sasuke almost wanted to laugh at the situation. It wasn't just their comrades who knew she was bad at cooking; even _she_ knew it herself.

"Hey," he said after a couple minutes of her complaining to herself, "it's alright."

"No it's not," she groaned, "I ruined your dinner."

"Sakura," he placed a hand on her shoulder, waiting for her to look up at him before continuing, "it's not ruined." Pausing he thought to himself, letting his mind wander back to a conversation he had with a couple of teammates. "Why don't we go out somewhere?"

"Really?" She looked up at him with tears in her eyes, sniffling.

He smiled, trying not to laugh at the situation. "Really."

Maybe accepting her offer wasn't such a bad thing after all.


	11. Classified

_**Coping**_

Sakura had many words that she used to describe Sasuke. A talented ninja, a loyal friend, and even a huge pain-in-the-ass at times. But she never thought she'd refer to him as a 'fantastic artist'.

She hadn't even meant to discover his hidden talent. She'd been wandering around his apartment one day, just passing the time as she waited for him to get his things together for their next mission. Like usual, she'd been the first of the three of them to be ready; she was almost certain Naruto was still in bed, and they'd be departing in just an hour.

She would've never walked into the room, but the door was cracked open and… well, her curiosity just happened to get the better of her. It was a small room with nothing but a desk with a chair beside it, and a few bookshelves.

When nothing immediately grabbed her attention she turned to leave the room, but that wasn't until something on the desk caught her eye.

And that's when he found her, rifling through piles and piles of paper on his desk, in awe of what was scribbled onto each sheet.

"What are you doing?"

She could hear just from his tone that he was angry with her, but she was still so stunned she couldn't believe it. His words hardly had an effect on her.

"Sasuke, did you draw this?"

"Come on," he walked over toward her with heavy steps, pulling the papers roughly out of her hand before slamming them back down on the table, "we're going to be late."

"This is amazing, Sasuke! I had no idea you could draw."

"Hardly," he muttered under his breath as he grabbed her upper arm and went to pull her out of the room, "let's go."

"Wait wait wait!" Sakura finally snapped out of her haze, ripping her arm out of Sasuke's grip. Staring at him with a shocked expression, she put her hands on her hips as she studied his face. Was he… embarrassed?

She wasn't great when it came to reading body language, but if Sasuke's refusal to look her in the eye, and fidgeting hands were any indication, she could tell that he was downright mortified at her discovery.

"So I've known you for over _ten years_, and I only now find out that you're an artist?"

"No I'm not," he responded quickly, "I'm a ninja."

Sakura laughed, "Yeah but you can't deny that you're good at art. I mean, just look at all that," she said, gesturing toward the desk at the other end of the room, "you've got some real talent with that."

"It doesn't matter. Shut up. We're going to be late."

"No, _Naruto _is going to be late, right now, you and I are on time." She spoke matter-of-factly, unable to keep the grin off of her face. She couldn't help but silently enjoy Sasuke's discomfort—it was _rare_ to see him in this sort of state.

"Can we just drop the subject?" he asked through gritted teeth.

"What? Are you joking! Sasuke," she walked back over toward the desk, "I've never seen anything like this before."

Just as her hands reached out to pick up some of his work, his hands slammed down first, preventing her from grabbing the papers. And before she could say anything, he'd closed his fists around the sheets, effectively crumpling them in the process. In a fit of rage, she watched as he threw the destroyed art across the room and out of her reach.

Stepping back a few steps out of shock, Sakura watched from a slight distance as Sasuke slowly regained his composure. She'd hadn't meant to anger him. Her poking fun at him was all just a joke.

"I'm sorry," she whispered after a long moment, scared to even look him in the eye. They'd come a long way in repairing their relationship with one another since he'd returned a couple years back, but there were still moments when his behavior would put genuine fear in her. "I didn't mean to upset you, I… I just…" she inhaled deeply, letting out a shaky breath, "I'm just trying to understand."

She didn't think he'd actually give her an actual response, much like always, but before she can take two steps toward the door, the sound of his voice stops her.

"It's not a hobby," he says, his back still facing her. She can almost see the tension in his shoulders. "It's more of a coping mechanism."

As she took a couple of unsure steps toward him, she halted just as he turned to face her. He didn't hold her gaze for long before he shook his head in frustration.

"I have… nightmares a lot," he admitted quietly. "It helps to get it all out on paper but I'm not very good with words."

When he looked back towards her, she held his eyes for a long moment. "I didn't know." She walked over to him, stopping a few feet away before dropping her head. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize," he muttered under his breath, idly kicking a crumpled up drawing across the room, "you didn't do anything wrong. _I'm_ sorry. It's just—" he paused again, thinking to himself, as if looking for the right words to say. "I don't want you to have to see that."

The moment she opened her mouth to reply she snapped it back shut, biting her tongue. She had to resist the urge to push him further, to try and get him to open up more to her, but she knew better than anyone that pushing him with these kinds of things would only cause him to close himself off further.

"I understand," she said, reaching out and squeezing his hand once, "now come on."

He allowed her to pull him out of the room and toward the front door. And as she gazed back once more at the still-opened door to the room, she smiled softly to herself. She was sure he'd open up more over time. All she had to do was be patient.

* * *

**A/N**: Sorry it's been so long since I've posted a prompt. And for those of you who read "Changing Skies", I'll be updating that in a couple days, so I apologize for the wait. Unfortunately my friends are getting me sucked back into Minecraft, but I'm fighting against it, so hopefully it won't take all of my time this week like it did last week.

I'll be posting the prompts for the last few days over the course of today.

Please review.


	12. Chasing A Dream

_**Don't Give Up**_

She'd always been on his side, whether or not it was in the literal, more physical sense. She supported him and would give him her love no matter what he did—no matter how low he'd fallen.

Sakura loved him. It was just that simple.

She never would've guessed that she would find herself giving up on him, only _after_ he'd returned to the village.

Of course she loved him. She realized one day while watching him spar with Naruto that she'd always love him, no matter what happened. And not long after that day she realized that maybe, just maybe they really would never end up together.

She really could find no one else to blame except for herself. She had built up so many unrealistic expectations in her head after Sasuke had informed them all that he was considering returning to the leaf.

For some reason she'd started finding herself daydreaming once more, something that she hadn't even _thought_ about doing since she was a child. She imagined her and Sasuke, repairing their relationship little by little until they eventually started dating. And of course that would be followed by a long period of dating, marriage afterward, and eventually children.

She had no one but herself to blame for building up this stupid dream in her head. Of all people, she should've known that having dreams would only lead to disappointment.

He'd been back for almost a year and they'd only had a handful of conversations. It wasn't that she hadn't been trying, it's just that when she did open her mouth to say something to him, her mind would go blank. She started to find herself uncomfortable with his presence for the first time in her entire life.

At one point, she had decided to spar with Sasuke for the first time since he'd returned. Naruto of course encouraged it, knowing how badly she wanted to try and get closer to Sasuke again. But only a few minutes into their fight, she'd frozen completely in fear at first sight of his chidori, flying toward her.

She hadn't meant to collapse to the ground, holding her head, and crying out in fear, but it had happened.

She hadn't meant to flinch backward when he leaned down to see what was wrong. Instead she clung to Naruto, not even fully understanding the source of her own fear.

Sakura was almost positive that it was because of that day, and the way she'd acted towards him, that caused him to stay away from her completely. She'd only seen him about a dozen times since that day all those months ago, and he would hardly take the time out of his day to look at her.

The one time he _did_ stop to speak to her had been on her birthday. She'd been shocked that he'd remembered, but then after he abruptly left, she realized that maybe he didn't care after all. A couple hours later the blonde had found her and hadn't been very good at hiding his curiosity on whether or not Sasuke had said anything to her yet. Upon realizing that Naruto had probably forced Sasuke to say something to her, her heart sank, bringing her hopes down with her.

She'd left Ichiraku's that night in tears.

But no matter how much she wanted to keep pursuing him, and to keep hoping that one day things may simply magically change, she knew she couldn't live her life with pointless delusions.

It was just before his birthday when she decided to give it one final try.

She'd been walking home from the hospital in the morning, after pulling a late shift and getting caught up with a bunch of emergencies. That's where she found him, walking in the opposite direction—towards the training grounds most likely—with his back to her.

She contemplated simply turning and walking home, but for some reason she found her feet walking toward him, desperate to catch up with him.

"Sasuke!" At the sound of her voice calling out to him, she watched as he halted abruptly, yet didn't acknowledge her. Just the fact that he wouldn't even turn to face her almost caused her to spin around and run home, but she knew she couldn't give up just yet.

With tentative steps, she walked around him, placing herself before him and looking up curiously at his face.

Her composure almost gave way at that moment; he was going out of his way to avoid meeting her eyes.

When she realized he didn't want to talk to her, let alone see her, it just about made her decision for her. But before she turned back around, to leave him alone for as long as he wanted, she forced herself to speak.

"I know you probably don't want to see me, or talk to me, or anything really," she allowed herself a sad smile as she stared at the dirt ground beneath her feet, "but I just wanted to say hi." When he didn't say anything, she chose to continue. "I know it's your birthday in a few days, so I wanted to wish you a happy birthday. And to let you know that you don't need to worry about… seeing me anymore." She inhaled deeply as she tried to word her thoughts correctly, "I mean, you don't have to pretend to like me anymore. You don't have to force yourself to be my friend if you don't want to."

Closing her eyes to hold back her tears, she forced another smile on her face, turning her head up towards him in an attempt to show him that things were okay.

She forced out a laugh, "I don't want to hold you up for too long, but I just wanted to let you know."

As she turned to walk away, she almost jumped in fear as she felt him grab her wrist. He must've noticed her widened eyes though, because as soon as she faced him again he dropped her arm and took a few steps back.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled under his breath, running a hand through his hair. Sakura could help but notice how stressed he looked. His eyes were tired, as if he hadn't slept in weeks.

She forced another smile on her face, "You don't have to apologize. It's alright. No hard feelings—"

"No, I mean," he inhaled deeply before letting his hands fall to his sides, "I'm sorry that you think that I… that you've been… I thought that you were afraid…" he let out a frustrated grunt before running another hand through his hair, pulling at the strands by their roots. "I'm _sorry_."

The expression he gave her was unlike any she'd ever seen him wear before. He looked scared, tired, ashamed, and like he didn't know what to do. All the words she could never before use to describe anything having to do with Uchiha Sasuke.

"Please just… please don't go. Don't give up on me just yet."

The words he mumbled just about broke her heart. She didn't even try to hold back her tears as she stepped up to him and tentatively wrapped her arms around his midsection.

She didn't expect to return the hug—it's not like he ever had before—but when she felt him lift his arms and pull her close to him, her throat tightened.

"I'm trying," he admitted under his breath, "Please don't leave."

It was at that point when she realized she hadn't been the only one trying to repair their relationship. And it was then when she realized it was pointless to try and fix their relationship by herself. It took two people to do that, and that's when she finally understood.

She'd chased him this far; she could've give up yet.


	13. Fish Out Of Water

_**Confession**_

Sitting at the other end of the bar, Sasuke fidgeted with the half-empty glass of sake in his hands, wondering to himself how hard he'd have to throw it for it to hit Naruto and knock him to the ground. It wouldn't solve his situation, but sure, it would make him feel a little bit better.

There was a reason Sasuke never took Naruto up on his offer and went out with everyone, and this night was a perfect example as to why he'd rather be at home. Or really, why he'd rather be anywhere else…

Sasuke wasn't a social person. His introversion was one of the things that defined him, and he'd much rather be somewhere a lot quieter and with a lot less drunk people.

He supposed the reason he agreed to come was because it was the idiot's birthday, and he figured that if he attended the stupid outing, he wouldn't have to buy him a gift.

Although he was currently tempted to walk to the nearest store, buy Naruto something stupid, and leave it on his doorstep for him to find later that night. He just did _not _want to be here anymore.

"I swear I've seen cats get their tails stepped on that look happier than you do right now."

Sasuke shot Sakura a wry look as she sat herself on the stool beside him. "I don't like being around people."

Sakura laughed in reply, asking the bartender politely for a glass of water. Sasuke narrowed his eyes, studying her as she took small sips from her drink.

"Are you not drinking tonight?" He found himself asking, staring at his own empty glass. When he realized he didn't remember finishing the sake, he pushed the glass away from him, deciding that maybe he'd had enough.

Sakura shook her head as she pulled her eyes away from the dance floor. "Nope. Someone needs to make sure he gets himself home later." She gestured over toward where Naruto was currently spinning a giggling Hinata. Sakura laughed, "Although I'm not entirely convinced he'll want _me_ to take him home."

Sasuke watched his drunken friend try and do some strange looking dance, grimacing when he tripped on his own two feet and landed on his ass.

"He's gonna hurt himself," Sasuke muttered under his breath as he tore his eyes away from the ridiculous scene.

"Eh, he'll be fine," Sakura grinned, laughing lightly at Naruto's antics. "It's not as if he doesn't act like this when he's sober too. I think Hinata can handle it."

Sasuke made a scoffing noise as he leaned back in his chair. "It's better that she'd does it anyways."

"Why's that?"

He shrugged, "I'd rather watch him dance with her than with you."

For a moment, he seemed to forget about his decision to stop drinking and ended up ordering another glass of sake. After taking a few sips he looked toward Sakura, who'd been strangely quiet since he'd spoken last. "What?"

She shook her head, laughing awkwardly as she picked up her water. "Nothing, it's just that it almost seems like you'd be jealous if I were to dance with Naruto."

He frowned, "I wouldn't want you dancing with anyone."

He watched as her mouth dropped open and she blinked at him with widened eyes. "What the—why not!?"

Sasuke found himself thinking to himself quietly for the answer. After his thoughts started running into each other, he shook his head, trying to calm his drunken mind. "Don't know," he mumbled, taking another sip. "I just don't."

Sakura let out a laugh, elbowing him light-heartedly. "You should come out with us more often. I don't think I've ever seen you like this before."

"Like what?" He narrowed his eyes at her questioningly.

"Drunk," she explained simply. "It's kind of funny."

"I'm not drunk," he said, rolling his eyes and taking a sip from his drink.

"I didn't think you were either until you opened your mouth."

He glared, "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh please, if you were sober you wouldn't tell me that you wanted to dance with me."

"I never said that."

"Yeah but you basically implied it."

"That's a lie. I would never dance with you."

She turned toward him, a sideways grin on her face. "Alright, so you wouldn't _dare_ dance with me, but you also don't want to see me dancing with anyone else then either?"

"Basically," he shrugged, taking another sip.

"So, hypothetically speaking, what would you do if I got up and danced with…" she let her eyes scan across the room, "Neji?"

Sasuke frowned, "Why Neji?"

"Why not?" She retorted, grinning, seemingly enjoying Sasuke's annoyance.

Sasuke scoffed at her childishness, "He probably wouldn't treat you right."

She hit his shoulder, glaring. "Don't be an asshole. Neji's a nice guy. I'm sure he'd be a great boyfriend." She was sarcastic with her words, but Sasuke couldn't help but feel as if they had a hint of truth to them.

"He wouldn't treat you the way you deserve to be treated."

She rolled her eyes before standing up. "Yeah? And how do I deserve to be treated?" Placing her glass back down she put her hands on her hips before she let her temper get the best of her. "Do I deserve to be ignored? To always be left wondering whether or not the person I care about even gives a shit about me? Do I deserve to be ridiculed and made fun of all the time?"

His frown deepened, "Of course not."

"Then why the hell do _you_ treat me like that?" She didn't raise her voice, although she did shoot him a look of exhaustion, shaking her head and rubbing her temples after breaking eye contact with him.

Sasuke sat there, staring back at her with an obvious look of shock on her face. He'd hadn't realized the effects that his actions were having on her.

"I do, don't I?" his question was rhetorical, but Sakura still nodded her head in confirmation. "You don't deserve that, I'm sorry." He let his eyes fall to the almost-empty glass of sake in his lap. "I've treated you like shit these past few years. I'm sorry, Sakura."

He glanced up to her only to find her shocked face gazing back down at him. She was caught off-guard, Sasuke could tell that just by the look in her eye.

"I'm sorry I've hurt you. I don't mean to ignore you, sometimes I just get caught up in my own head," he ran a hand through his hair, trying to straighten out his thoughts and form them into words. "I don't mean to make you feel bad. I suppose I do give you a hard time too often," he mused as he watched the alcohol in his glass swirl around in circles. "I do care about you, Sakura. Very much so. I'm sorry if you didn't know that. And I—I…" pausing, he halted his words and closed his eyes. Placing his glass on the bar, he rubbed his temples, as if warding off a headache. After realizing the extent of everything he'd just said, he shook his head before opening his eyes. "I'm drunk," he said flatly, staring at the glass in front of him.

Sakura surprised him by letting out a laugh, sitting herself back down on the stool beside him. He struggled to get his inebriated mind to focus on her face, but for some reason he couldn't stop thinking about how beautiful she looked while she smiled.

"You _are_ drunk." She said, smiling over her shoulder at him. "Too bad you probably don't mean any of it."

"That's not true," he said, slightly disappointed with her dismissal of his words.

"Prove it."

He said the first thing that popped into his head, "You're beautiful."

She gaped at him, before closing her mouth and giving him a concerned look. "Just how drunk are you?"

Sasuke crossed his arms across his chest and glared back at her. "I might be drunk, but that doesn't mean I'm lying to you."

Sakura didn't speak for a full minute, but when she did, she couldn't keep the smile off of her face. "I know they say that when you're drunk, you're more likely to tell the truth. But this is a little bit too much for me to take completely seriously."

"How can I get you to take it seriously then," he asked, determined for her to realize that he _wasn't_ lying to her.

"Maybe you can say this to me when you're not drunk."

"Go on a date with me."

Sakura choked on her water as he spoke, coughing as she tried desperately to rid the air from her windpipe. Sasuke sat by, waiting for her to regain her composure as he watched her accept a towel and another glass of water from the bartender with shaky hands. He watched as she then reached for his glass of sake and placed it out of his reach.

"Ask me when you're sober, then I'll believe you."

"But will you say yes?"

"What?" She shot him a confused look, as if she were completely lost with what was happening to her.

"When I ask you tomorrow, will you say yes?"

"I—" she stopped, shocked at how genuine he sounded with his question. "_If_ you even _remember_ to ask me tomorrow, then yes."

"Okay then," he sat back, satisfied with the answer.

Neither of them said anything for a long moment, but when Sakura started laughing again, Sasuke looked toward her with an inquisitive look.

"I know you're not entirely comfortable out here with everyone," she said, referring to the bar and to the dance floor filled with their comrades, "but I'm glad Naruto got you to come out tonight."

Sasuke knew he didn't belong there—he was definitely out of his element tonight—but he couldn't help but agree with her.

Maybe going out wasn't such a bad thing…


	14. Our First Place

_**Pictures**_

With a couple of picture frames in her arms, she walked around the room slowly, thinking intently to herself. Pausing for a couple of minutes, she eventually walked over to the windowsill and set the frames down. Stepping back she smiled at the sight.

The first picture was one she'd had since she was a child. It was the first picture that had ever been taken of Team 7. It wasn't very good of a picture, considering the fact that both Naruto and Sasuke looked downright miserable, but she thought it was funny, so she always kept it in plain sight.

She had a lot of memories attached to that picture.

The next frame held a similar picture, taken of the same people, but almost ten years later. It was taken the same day that Naruto became Hokage. Smiling widely, he donned his new white and orange cloak, complete with his red Hokage hat.

Sakura, much like before, had been in the middle of the photo with an arm draped over Naruto and Sasuke's shoulders. She had been laughing at something Hinata, who had taken the picture for them, had said, but for the life of her she couldn't remember the comment.

Kakashi stood behind them, smiling like he was in the previous picture, only this time his face looked less stressed, more calm; Sakura could almost feel the genuine happiness radiating off of him.

And then there was Sasuke. Sakura was almost positive that this was the first picture that had been taken where he was actually _smiling_. It wasn't a wide, ear-to-ear grin, but it was a smile, and it was really something.

Coincidentally, just the week before that day, Sasuke had been taken off probation and had been deemed fully rehabilitated. He'd surprised them all that day by showing up to the ceremony, a brand new Konoha headband strapped to his head.

Sakura had busted into tears at the sight of it. A confused and concerned Sasuke had been completely bewildered with her sudden display of emotions. Since she couldn't form words properly she had to reach up and knock on the metal plating, to let him know exactly _what_ she was so emotional about. And when her tears had turned to laughter, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him fiercely.

The picture had been taken almost six months ago. Now, the new Hokage was settled into his office, Kakashi had decided to take up teaching at the Academy, Sakura had been officially named the head doctor at the hospital, and Sasuke was starting to prepare for his upcoming Jounin exams.

And it was a week until Sakura and Sasuke's wedding.

He'd proposed to her the night after Naruto's inauguration, surprising her so much that for a couple minutes she thought he was playing some sort of unfunny, elaborate joke on her. They'd only been dating for a month, after years of playing cat and mouse and denying feelings, and marriage had honestly been one of the last things on her mind.

Hell, she was still stunned from the fact that they were even _dating_. It took her three days to get back to him with an answer, which had obviously been yes. And now here they were, only days away from being married.

They'd moved into their house two days ago, and Sakura was still busy unpacking all of her things. At first when she'd proposed that they move in together, Sakura assumed they'd start looking for apartments or maybe that one of them would just move into the other one's apartment. The very next day, he'd taken her out to look at _houses_ instead.

She insisted that she was okay with starting small, and that buying a house would be an expensive commitment that could wait until later, but when he told her he'd like to have a yard—"space for our children to play" he'd said—she could only nod, stunned and in awe at his words.

At one point in time, she'd suggested that maybe they move into the old Uchiha district. When Pain had attacked years before, almost ninety percent of the village had been destroyed, reduced to nothing more than heaps of rubble and ash. The ten percent that had been spared by the destruction just so happened to include the Uchiha district on the far side of town.

Sasuke adamantly refused out-right, taking her off guard once more. That night he explained to her the reason why the Uchiha had been set aside in their own gated community. He told her of the segregation and the oppression they faced while under the second Hokage's reign.

She'd accompanied him into town the next day to speak with Naruto about opening up the homes in the Uchiha district to the public. The houses had all remained untouched after the massacre of the clan, and Sasuke, being the only survivor of the mess, had become the sole beneficiary of the entire Uchiha clan. Including the abandoned district and the land surrounding it.

The house they'd moved into wasn't too large, much like the house he'd grown up in had been. There were two levels, three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a spacious back yard.

She'd taken it upon herself to decorate the main rooms, but was having trouble finding places to put things.

"Shouldn't you be worrying about other things instead of where to put dumb pictures?"

As he spoke, she felt his arms wrap around her from behind, placing his head on her shoulder.

She smiled at his words as she looked back at the two pictures. "Other things?"

"I don't know. Wedding things?"

"And why should I be worrying about that?" She retorted with a grin, turning to face him.

He shrugged, "I figured you would be. I've heard from a few people that it's what women tend to do before they're married."

She shook her head as she lifted her arms and wrapped them around his neck. "Nah, I think I'm alright. I mean, the hard part is already over."

"What hard part?"

"The part where I chase after you for years and then sit by and wait patiently for you to fall in love with me," she explained to him with a sly grin. "That was the hard part. It basically took _forever_. This?" She rested her head on his chest before letting out a content sigh, "This isn't hard. It's just… nice."

She felt him kiss the top of her head before resting his own over where his lips had met.

"It is," he agreed quietly as he held her. "Thank you."

She laughed lightly as she leaned up to kiss him. Now that the hard part was over, she was ready for her new life to begin. Her new life with the man she'd loved since she was a little girl.


	15. Grounded

_**Conferences **_

Being the great student that she'd always worked to become, when Sakura was a child she had never gotten into any trouble at the Academy. The same thing had also gone for Sasuke. Sure, after the death of his family, every now and then he'd have a teacher pull him aside to try and talk to him and make sure they knew "how he was doing". Those conversations of course would never end well for the teacher initiating them, but other than that, Sasuke stayed out of trouble for the most part.

And now she found herself walking toward the Academy with Sasuke at her side, for an 'emergency conference' about their 7-year-old son, wondering what the hell they were being called in for.

Making their way through the halls of the Academy, Sakura happened to glance to Sasuke by her side, and found him oddly calm. They'd never had these kinds of problems with their daughter Hana, who was currently eleven and participating in her first chuunin exams the following month.

Finding the door they'd been looking for, Sakura reached out and knocked a few times. Hearing an immediate response, she held her breath and opened the door.

This would be interesting…

"Don't get me wrong, Souta is a joy to have in class. He brings this type of energy that I wish all the children had. He's quite the positive little guy. It's just he seems to have this problem with… self-control."

Sakura raised an eyebrow as she glanced from Iruka to Sasuke and then back toward Iruka. "What type of self-control are we talking about here?"

Iruka cleared his throat before rubbing the back of his neck. Sakura could see that years of dealing with ninjas-in-the-making had definitely taken its toll on him. With the lines around his eyes and forehead becoming more prominent, he was certainly starting to look his age.

"Souta is by far the strongest student in his year. And it's not just strength, it's his speed and his ninjustsu, too. Very impressive for a boy his age."

Sasuke made a scoffing noise as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I don't see how that's a problem," he commented with a cocky half-smile.

Sakura had to resist the urge to roll her eyes at her husband's attitude toward the issue, but instead turned her attention back toward the stressed-out teacher. "What exactly is the problem?"

"We started sparring a month ago and so far… well…"

Sakura watched as he opened a folder and pulled out a few pictures.

"He's been taking the fights a bit too seriously."

In the pictures were some of Souta's classmates. Some with black eyes and busted lips and other's with broken arms and crutches. Looking over some of the pictures Sakura gasped, "Souta did this?"

Iruka nodded. "I know you all are just as aware as all the other student's parents that this is an Academy for ninjas, and that fighting is one of the main things we teach here, but… he doesn't seem to know when to stop."

Shaking her head, feeling slightly embarrassed, Sakura pushed the photos back toward Iruka. Looking toward Sasuke, she found him sitting in the same position, a cocky smirk still plastered on his face. Elbowing him in the shoulder, she glared.

"Like I said before, he's a great kid. But for some reason he seems convinced that all of his classmates are just more targets for him to practice with. I've already talked to the administrators, and we're discussing bumping him forward a few years after this semester, so that he'll be training and learning with kids more suited to handle the type of things he's doing."

"That's good," Sasuke commented with a nod.

"Yes it's good to hear," Sakura said with a forced smile, "but that's not the point of this meeting, Sasuke," she said under her breath to her husband, shooting him another annoyed glance.

He merely rolled his eyes, "So is that all?"

"It's just, I'd like if you could talk to him after school today, and explain to him that he doesn't need to actually _try_ to hurt his classmates during sparring sessions."

"Of course," Sakura said graciously, nodding toward him. "We'll speak to him right away."

"I still don't see any problem," Sasuke commented dryly.

"Sure you don't," Sakura muttered to herself as she reached out for his arm and pulled him onto his feet. With one more smile towards their old sensei, she bowed and made her exit, dragging Sasuke after her by his sleeve.

"That was hardly a 'problem'." He commented as they made their way towards the front.

"Sasuke, he's intentionally injuring his other classmates. He shouldn't be doing that!"

"He's stronger than they are. It's not his fault."

Sakura groaned, "You're missing the point here."

Interrupting her, the bell rang throughout the halls, and suddenly doors flew open and young students flooded out into the halls. It wasn't long before she spotted Souta, heading straight for them.

"Uchiha Souta!" she called above the loud chitter-chatter, causing many heads, including her son's, to turn toward them. "Come here now, please."

As the small boy made his way toward them, Sakura watched as other children around him laughed, some saying things like "Oooo, Souta's in trooouble!"

She almost didn't believe her eyes when he, in response, reached out and knocked a few over with one quick _shove_, telling them to 'shut up', before continuing on his way. Next to her, Sasuke let out a snicker.

"What was that?" Sakura asked, not happy with the scene she'd just witnessed.

"Hi mom!" he greeted enthusiastically, reaching forward to give her a hug. "And they like to treat me like a baby so I have to push them around sometimes to make them stop."

Sakura could only stare down at her son in shock. He explained it so simply, and with such certainty and enthusiasm that she hardly knew how to respond. "We just talked with Iruka-sensei."

Souta frowned. "Oh."

"He told us how well you're doing," Sasuke said, with an impressed tone in his voice.

"Yeah? He did!?" Souta looked up toward his father with wide eyes and a bright smile.

Sakura sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose between her fingers. She_ hated_ being the bad guy in these types of situations, but she supposed it had to be done…

"And he also told us how you're being too violent when you spar."

"Huh. Really?" He scratched his head as if confused by the concept. "But dad always says that when I fight, I need to act as if I'm prepared to kill them, or I won't get anywhere."

For a moment, she swore she saw Sasuke out of the corner of her eyes, waving his hands toward Souta, trying to get the boy to stop talking. Turning toward her husband, he stared back at her with a passive look on his face, giving away absolutely nothing.

"Well," she looked back down at him, "you can't do that with classmates. Only with enemy ninja. At _least_ until you've graduated, alright?"

The boy looked disappointed but nodded anyways. "Okay mom."

"As punishment you'll have to stay at home or at school this week. No going over to friend's houses, or anything like that."

"Aw man! Not even to see Naruto-san?"

"Especially not to see Naruto," Sakura muttered under her breath. "As for you," she turned to her husband, who was seemingly hopefully waiting for Sakura to forget his existence, "I'll think of something for you, too."

And before she turned to walk out of the school, she watched as Sasuke and Souta shared a glance. Souta shrugged and Sasuke shook his head tiredly.

She smiled to herself as she led the way back out onto the streets. They may be troublemakers, but they were _her_ troublemakers.


End file.
